National Signing Day: McMaryion's Oregon Trail

Dinuba quarterback to sign with Oregon State today

Feb. 5, 2014

Dinuba quarterback Marcus McMaryion is going to sign his letter of intent with Oregon State today. McMaryion is the first Tulare County quarterback to sign with a Pac-12 school in over a generation. / Ken L. Weisenberger

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It didn’t take long for Marcus McMaryion to find out what life may be like if you’re a quarterback at a Pac-12 school .

McMaryion attended the Nov. 1 Oregon State-USC game during his official visit to the Oregon State campus.

While walking on stadium floor with other recruits, an Oregon State fan gained McMaryion’s attention.

The fan shouted, “Hey, you’re Marcus McMaryion.”

Startled that someone more than 700 miles away from his home in Dinuba would recognize him, McMaryion told the fan he was right, but asked how he knew that.

“Oh, I’ve seen your highlights on the Internet. I know you’re a great student. Welcome to Oregon State,” the fan replied back.

“It was really crazy that people you don’t know knew so much about you,” McMaryion said.

It’s only going to crazier from here on and out for McMaryion.

McMaryion officially becomes a member of the Oregon State football program during National Signing Day today.

“It’s definitely an exciting day. I’m been looking forward to this day since I committed [to Oregon State]. It’s time to seal the deal,” McMaryion said. “It’s definitely an exciting time. It’s something that is going to be memorable to me and my family.”

McMaryion verbally committed to Oregon State last summer, but was unable to sign his letter of intent until today. He’ll take care of that first thing before he goes to school, and will fax the document to Oregon State head coach Mike Riley.

Once the fax is in Riley’s hands, McMaryion will make Tulare County history.

Tulare County has had four players attend Pac-12 schools on football scholarships in recent years — Greg Capella (El Diamante) to UCLA, Marquess Wilson (Tulare Union) to Washington State, Dylan Ausherman (El Diamante/COS) to Oregon and Kevin Palma (Mission Oak) to Stanford.

But this area hasn’t seen a local quarterback land a scholarship to a Pac-12 school in well over a generation.

“It’s great to hear that. I’m real thankful to be given the opportunity to be the first [local quarterback] to be [in the Pac-12] in a long time,” McMaryion said. “It hasn’t sunk in yet.”

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The Road to Corvallis

McMaryion, the 2012 Times-Delta/Advance-Register Bob Mathias Award winner, completed one of the more decorated playing careers for Dinuba Emperor football. In 2012, he led the Central Section in yards passing (3,477), touchdown passes (43) and passer rating (133). In 2013, he helped direct the Emperors to the Central Section Division III championship, and was among section leaders in the aforementioned categories.

However, it was what McMaryion did in between the 2012 and 2013 Dinuba campaigns that made him a wanted man in the Pac-12 — and throughout the West for that matter.

After strong showings at several camps/clinics and passing tournaments during the spring and early summer of 2013, college football head coaches started to set up “audition” workouts with McMaryion. National recruiting analysts took notice of McMaryion’s rise as a recruit, and listed him among the nation’s quarterbacks for the Class of 2014.

Rivals.comranks McMaryion as the nation’s No. 16 dual-threat quarterback, and the No. 58 overall player in the state — ahead of several Stanford, UCLA and USC recruits.

After throwing in front of Riley during one of these “audition” workouts, McMaryion was extended a scholarship offer and he quickly gave his pledge after making an official visit to Oregon State’s campus.

Rivals considers McMaryion a vital piece to Oregon State’s 2014 recruiting class — he received the outfit’s highest player rating out of this year’s Oregon State commits.

But that doesn’t mean McMaryion hasn’t had to endure some anxious moments.

Even though McMaryion is considered the centerpiece to Oregon State’s class — especially after the Beavers didn’t land a top-flight quarterback last year — he will not be the only quarterback entering the program.

There are two other quarterbacks set to sign with the Beavers today. If that wasn’t enough, the battle to be Oregon State’s 2015 starting quarterback — Sean Mannion returns as the starter for 2014 — became a bit more congested with a couple of recent high-profile transfers.

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Zach Kline, the nation’s No. 2 pro-style quarterback recruit in 2012 according to Rivals, decided to bolt the California Golden Bears for Oregon State after not winning Cal’s starting job in 2013. Also enrolling at Oregon State is Luke Del Rio, son of Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. Del Rio was a quarterback at Alabama (Rivals’ No. 28 pro-style quarterback in 2013) and announced his transfer to Oregon State right after the Crimson Tide hired former USC head coach Lane Kiffin as their new offensive coordinator.

Did that bother McMaryion?

“That was the kind of thing that’s in the back of your head, but it’s Division I football. Nothing is going to be handed to me,” McMaryion said. “Even though you have a scholarship, it doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to be the starter. Those two players are great guys. There’s going to be competition, and competition brings out the best in you.”

The quarterback talent infusion at Oregon State prompted other coaches to tempt McMaryion with offers.

The new Washington Huskies coaching staff led by former Boise State head coach Chris Petersen, who was very familiar with McMaryion after recruiting him for the Broncos, tried to entice McMaryion to make a visit to Seattle. McMaryion also said that BYU demonstrated serious interest.

McMaryion never wavered.

And to prove that McMaryion was an integral part of his recruiting class, Riley made an in-home visit with McMaryion and his parents in Dinuba last month. It is common for head coaches to make in-home visits with players still trying to decide where to go during the month of January, but Riley made sure that McMaryion and his family were aware of how important the Dinuba quarterback was to the future of the Beavers.

“That [visit] meant a lot,” McMaryion said. “[Riley] is a real down-to-earth guy. If you look at how deals with his players, and how he talks to you, you know he has his players’ best interests at heart. He’s a great coach, but one of the best things about him is the type of person he is.”

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Emperor Marcus' Last Days

It is becoming more commonplace for touted quarterbacks like McMaryion to leave high school a semester early, and enroll in college during the spring.

McMaryion said he had positioned himself for such a move. But Riley wanted to make sure that McMaryion understood that it wasn’t necessary to take such a plunge. The Beavers’ starting quarterback job is not up for grabs, and if McMaryion wanted to enjoy his last few months as a high school student, Riley said he should stay.

McMaryion opted to stay a high school student for his last semester, and he’s enjoying the choice. Not only will be able to attend the school prom, take part in graduation, and all the other nuances/events that goes with being a senior in high school, he’s hoping to help Dinuba capture a Central Section Division III boys basketball championship. The Emperors (19-1) have been one of the more pleasant surprises in Central Section basketball.

Happy that he decided to stay home a few more months?

“Definitely,” McMaryion said. “One more little round with the guys that I grew up with. Get to hang out and enjoy life.”

When asked if he thought if signing a scholarship with a Pac-12 school was possible before he started high school, McMaryion admitted no, although he had plans to go to college and play football. His outlook changed with four outstanding years with the Emperors.

“Coach [Kevin] Scharton let me know that I had all the tools,” McMaryion said. “I’m blessed and fortunate that I got this opportunity.”

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